What I find most facinating is the contrast between Canon's response to the D800 their (apparent) response to the D600.

Professional photographers regularly say that high mpx is not that important. Canon, has yet to offer a very high mpx camera. Clearly Canon has patience and professionals have not been lured by the minor benifits of a few optical, focus and diffraction challenged pixels or the ability to "fix" grossly under-exposed frames. Investments in lenses and photographic systems trumps these minor benifts.

An inexpensive Full-Frame camera, on the other hand, is a serious threat. Canon has (apparently) responded very quickly - even pre-maturely, to protect market share and the migration route up the camera food chain. I also find it interesting that Nikon has not released the D600 until it fixed their lens line up. One of the reasons I didn't buy the D700 was the lack of lenses three years ago. This deficiency is now repaired and Nikon has a good line-up of Full-Frame lenses.

If a Pentax full-frame K3 and the long awaited Lecia M10 are announced, then 10 full-frame digital cameras will have been released in the last year. We are at the transition of the photographic world from APS to full-frame. A new golden age.

Canon is the leading camera maker for a reason. I am pretty certain their marketing brain trust has been watching and planning for this for a long time. They appear to have been caught a little flat-footed, but just as clearly they have had the 6D on the planning board for a long time for just this day.

Interesting days ahead. The competition at between the companies is in a new phase. Photographers will benfit.